Inevitability
by RachelItIs
Summary: Some things are simply inevitable. Ami/Zoisite. [[Went ahead and changed rating to T, though no change in content yet]]
1. Finding

_Authors note: This was originally going to a part of my Senshi/Shitennou one shot works "We All Have Our Moments" but I then had the overwhelming urge to turn it into a couple chapters._

* * *

Ami once again glanced over her glasses at the blonde man carefully inspecting the menu at the coffee shop. _ Her_ coffee shop. She'd been coming here regularly for months. It was quiet, comfortable and had a perfect studying atmosphere. Or at least, it did. At the moment, she couldn't concentrate to save her life.

She looked back down at her book, willing the jumble of medical garble to make sense. She sighed and popped another piece of her trail mix into her mouth, glancing up again. He'd been staring at the menu for at least five minutes now. Had she not noticed him the second he'd walked into the shop, she certainly would have by this point.

She glanced back down as she heard him sigh and then shuffle his position, no longer watching the menu. She felt as though the steps were loudest things in the room, thought in reality she couldn't tell them apart from anyone else's, as he walked from the counter to the opposite side of her table.

"Hello."

She looked up, partially in shock. She's not sure what she expected him to say, but that certainly took her by surprise. She was even more confused by the uneasy look in his green eyes, "Ah… hello…"

Silence fell between him, neither sure what to say. Ami had merely answered his greeting in the polite way. She hadn't thought about it at all. In fact, in the entire five minutes she watched him try to be invisible to her, she hadn't thought of a single thing to say. Therefore, she certainly wouldn't have had a response for such a simple greeting.

After a couple minutes, and with Ami feeling eyes in the café start to turn to them out of curiosity, or entertainment for the poor man, she motioned for the chair, "How have you been?"

She was hoping this would alleviate the hope for drama that seemed to be spilling from the people around her. It seemed to work as a few eyes turned back to what they were doing, realizing the situation wasn't nearly as juicy as they'd hope. When Zoisite eventually sat, after staring at her in enough confusion to rival hers, the rest of the eyes turned away with his response, "Fine."

She felt ridiculous for the questions and she could tell he felt ridiculous for the answer. The last time they'd see each other, he'd been evil and trying to kill her. That was easily something that couldn't be brought up in their current position. Instead, she opted to satiate her curiosity on other subjects, "How long have you been… back?"

He seemed to relax into the question. "A while," he started, but then decided to expand, "Just over half a year."

Her eyes widened; she hadn't had the slightest clue and she was sure her friends hadn't either. She vaguely wondered if Mamoru had known, but brushed it off. That was a question for Mamoru himself.

At Ami's stunned silence, Zoisite continued slowly, "I wasn't going to find you, you know. I don't really know if the others have tried to contact any of you or Endymion, but I had decided not to. Yet, at least. I didn't try to find you here either, just so you know."

She removed her glasses, unsure of what to make of his declaration. She didn't know whether she could believe him or not. She hadn't really known Zoisite to play the long con with any of them, only long enough to draw them out. Obviously, he didn't need to draw her out if he already knew where to find her.

"How did you find me?"

He pointed out the window and across the street to a flower shop, "I work there."

She let out a laugh, of course he does. He tilted his head, insulted. She shook her head, "I'm sorry, but it's so… you."

The smile lingered on her face, for a reason she didn't know and couldn't control. After a moment, he returned the smile, "I suppose it would seem that way."

"So continue on how you found me. How long have you worked there?"

"Six months, almost as long as I've been back," he answered. She nodded; she'd only been visiting this café for around four months. He'd beaten her to the area. "I saw you about a month ago, walking into this shop. I'd never been in; I'm not a coffee, or café for that matter, person. I tried to ignore you, swear it. But, eventually I failed."

She took a drink of her iced coffee, slowly sucking on the straw to give her time to process it. A month, he'd been watching her for an entire month. Plus, he'd been in this area since before she first decided to explore it. It had been nearly six months ago that she started to feel restless in the area where she lived and longed to find something new. One day, she gave in and her feet had lead her here. She frowned, unamused.

He caught her frown and rushed through his next sentence, "That'sthetruthIpromise."

She gave a small smile and waved a hand in the air, "It's not that. I should be going now."

He nodded as she stood from her seat and gathered her things, "Goodbye, Mer'."

"Goodbye, Zoicite."

She didn't return the nickname but she did offer a smile and a nod before brushing past him at towards the door. She glanced back at him when she reached the door. He was slumped in the seat with a hand over his eyes, looking utterly defeated. She drew in a breath, shook her head and continue into the brisk fall air.


	2. Curiosity

When Zoisite returned to his shared apartment after meeting with Ami, he found his roommate sitting on the couch with a book in hand. The older man glanced up from the book as he entered and remarked, "You look absolutely terrible."

Zoisite collapsed next to the silver haired man on the couch, "I failed."

Kunzite closed his book, eyeing the man, "Already?"

"Already?" Zoisite shouted, indignant. "It's been a month since I first saw her!"

"Well, I was hoping to live comfortably without death threats for at least another six months," he replied, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "We should let the others know."

Kunzite grabbed his phone and punched a few keys. They only had to wait a few minutes before two more men entered the apartment. They'd chosen to stay fairly close to one another, for comfort as well as protection. Zoisite and Kunzite took one apartment, while Nephrite and Jadeite had taken one across the hall.

"What's so important," Nephrite yawned as he walked him. "I had another hour before I had to be up for work."

"Your own fault for taking such a shoddy shift," Jadeite replied, plopping into an arm chair that was angled towards the couch. "More importantly, I had a date."

"Well, you're dear brother here decided to have a date of his own today," Kunzite grunted, and the two other men caught his meaning instantly.

"_Zoisite_," Nephrite hissed while Jadeite simply gave an amused smirk.

"Told you I wouldn't be first," he stated smugly.

"Not the time, Jadeite," Kunzite admonished and turned his attention back to the youngest of the men. "Please explain, now. So we can see exactly how much trouble we're in."

Zoisite explained the happenings at the café earlier that day, interrupted regularly by grunts of disapproval from the oldest two gentlemen and snickers of enjoyment from the younger. Zoisite scrunched up his nose, "She didn't _seem_ like she was going to jump into killing us."

"_Unfortunately_," Nephrite glared, "she's sure to tell her comrades and they may not be so 'understanding,' as you put it."

"Do you think we should find our Prince, now? If we talk to him, he could offer some protection," Jadeite voiced, maturely entering the conversation for the first time.

"No," Kunzite answered. "We agreed we deserved no such thing and he doesn't deserve to have to deal with us or be pitted against the Senshi. For now, we'll be aware."

Nephrite nodded in agreement and then glanced down at his watch, "I should be getting ready for work now. Museums aren't going to secure themselves."

"I can still make my date as well. Which is _not_ with a Senshi, might I add," Jadeite shot another smug look at Zoisite before jumping from his chair, leading the way out of the apartment with Nephrite following behind.

"Well," Kunzite stood, walking over to his desk and shuffling through some notes. "I suppose that I'll keep an ear open at the newspaper. If there's scout activity, it'll hit the front page in no time. Not that I expect there to be any already; I'm sure the scouts will work secretly until they find us."

Zoisite lay across the couch, hanging his head off of the side, "Why me? Jadeite took the most public job out of all of us and _I'm_ the one that sees one first. He surely would have failed before me if that damned Martian had seen any of his shoots."

"He'd also be very dead at this point," Kunzite joked and Zoisite couldn't help but laugh. The older man patted his youngest friend on the shoulder, "Get some rest, kid. It'll be fine."

Zoisite pulled himself from the couch and slouched to him room, mumbling a goodnight on his way by.

* * *

"Ami, you've been awfully quiet," Rei interrupted her blue-haired friend's thoughts.

"Not that you're ever particularly talkative," Minako winked. "But, we're not even studying now. So, there's no reason for you to be ignoring our conversations. Makoto's talking about a boy she met and you're not even admonishing her for not paying more attention to her studies than boys!"

Ami smiled. When she saw the girls these days, they were rarely studying. They'd occasionally have a study party, but it wasn't like it had been before. They were now in college and all chasing after different dreams. Of course, any of the general education stuff, they'd work on together and they always took those classes together. However, for the most part, their time together used for catching up and having fun, especially since the world had been quiet since Chaos had been destroyed.

"I'm sorry, girls, I'm just off in my own world today! This must be what Usagi feels like every day," Ami joked lightly, though hardly in such a mood.

She was struggling with whether or not she should talk with any of them about her previous day. On one hand, she felt that her friends should know if an enemy had returned. On the other hand, he hadn't seemed to mean any harm at this point. If had been watching her for a month, which she had no reason not to believe, he could have simply attacked her rather than show his face to her.

She had, in fact, called the flower shop and asked to review an employee that had helped her with some flowers, using his description. The woman on the line had known who she was talking about immediately. _Ah, Zachary Zoisite. He's barely been in the country for six months, let alone this shop! He's truly amazing at what he does. I'll pass along your regards._

The girls were staring at her again and she cleared her throat, aware that she must have missed a protest from Usagi. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'm just tired. I think I'll head on, if you don't mind."

Mamoru gave her a smile and responded, "Pre-med isn't easy. Remember it's only your second year."

She hesitated, half wanting to request study time with Mamoru to asked him the question burning her mind, eventually she offered back a smile and stood, "It's quite a difficult thing to have to remember. I'll see you guys later."

When she walked out of the diner, she immediately turned right towards her apartment, which she still shared with her mother. She walked a block before hesitating. She immediately spun right, through an ally and then took another right, heading the direction she'd come from on another street. This way, she was well out of the view of her friends. Before she knew it, she was across the street from the café she'd met Zoisite in the day before and outside of the flower shop he pointed out as his place of work.

She stood at the door for a second, completely unsure of her next step. She wasn't sure why she'd decided to come there. She'd actually all but decided not to even visit the café anymore. Yet, here she was, outside of the very place that he worked. Before she could logically talk herself out of it, she had opened the door and started to the counter.

* * *

When Zoisite had entered work the next day, exhausted from the ordeal with not only Mercury but his brothers as well, he was immediately stopped by the owner of the shop, who seemed overwhelmed with pride.

"I got simply the best call about you Zachary!" she gushed, using his given name. He'd insisted when they met that, being from America, being called by his last name was too strange. Before he could respond, she continued, "She was simply _in love_ with the water lily arrangement that you had done for her. She had so many polite things to say! Oh! You're so great for this place."

He smiled and nodded, thanking her for the compliments as though they were from the woman in front of him and not a customer. _Water lilies? _He'd not done a single arrangement of lilies in at least a two weeks time, let alone water lilies. He stopped, understanding dawning on his face. Of course she would check in on his story.

His day was mostly spent wondering, and rightfully worrying, what the reaction of the blue-haired girl would be. He lost count of how many times he muttered _Good one, Zoisite_ to himself, much to the confusion of his customers. Around ten minutes before time for Zoisite to close the shop, the owner had gone home for the day having put an amazing amount of trust in Zoisite in such a short amount of time, the door bell rang announcing a visitor.

"Welcome to Zodia…" he trailed off when he saw who his guest was, before straightening himself up again. "Zodiac Flowers. I'm sorry; we don't take requests after 5:30. Only pick ups. Though, I am quite glad you enjoyed your _water lilies_ last time."

Ami glanced around for a minute, not responding to the man's statement. Finally, she approached the desk, "Well, it certainly doesn't _feel_ evil in here. And, it doesn't have a strange, ominous name like _Dark Flowers_. Though, Zodiac?"

"Do research. That's what you enjoy. The place has been around for two years. It's fairly well known," Zoisite responded to her interrogation, leaning on the counter. "I didn't expect to see you in the area again, let alone my shop."

"Your shop?" Ami questioned, raising an eyebrow. Zoisite simply shrugged and she continued, "Mhm, I hadn't expected to be back. But, I was curious."

"Of course you were," he replied and glanced at his watch. "I have to close the till and lock up. It'll be about 15 minutes. There's an American-inspired diner a block down on the right. I can meet you there."

Ami nodded. She hadn't expected him to want to go back to the café or even anywhere private. He was probably as wary of her as she was of him. She turned towards the door and he followed.

"I'll go on," she stated.

He didn't respond, just shut the door and locked it behind her, sighing as he stepped back to his counter.

_They are going to kill me._


	3. Questioning

Zoisite straightened and retied his hair before stepping out of the shop. He was very reasonably nervous. He could easily think of a hundred things to go wrong with this planned meeting; the scariest being one of his brothers showing up to "check" on him. He glanced both ways; partly to check for any of the men and partly with mind to turn the option direction. Against his better judgment, he turned in the direction of his waiting… _friend._

When he entered the diner, he had to look around to find her. He finally spotted her in a secluded corner, once again sipping on a coffee, and mentally thanked the gods that she seemed as paranoid as he was. They locked eyes as he drew closer and he stilled a shudder and he stood before her and offered a tilt of his head, "Mercury."

She nodded towards the seat and offered a faint smile, "Zoisite." When he sat, she continued, "It's Ami in this time, _Zachary._"

The name rolled off her tongue, the way the letters fit together fairly foreign even to a tongue, he was sure, was very skilled in the English language. He fought another shudder. He liked the name more than he had ever before, "Alright, _Ami."_

He tested it, slowly. He liked the way it felt coming from his mouth as he did her old world given-name. Ami found herself blushing; she'd enjoyed hearing him call her that much more than she was comfortable admitting.

Silence fell between them and they were saved by the waitress, "The usual, Zach?"

Zoisite gave a half smile, almost flirty smile, which Ami would not admit to finding very irritating, and responded, "Please, Hana. And whatever my friend would like to eat."

Ami was shocked by the familiarity between the two, but what could she say? Her and Zoisite were also seemingly on a first name basis. She bit down the jealousy, "I'm not hungry, thank you. I'll stick to coffee."

"Absolutely," the girl responded to Ami and then turned back to Zoisite, "I'll have your orange juice right out."

When the girl had retreated, Ami looked down at the table, trying to hide her annoyance, "Here a lot?"

"I am," Zoisite responded and Ami could hear the smirk in his voice, giving away the fact that her attempt to hide her feelings failed. When she looked up, she saw he was, indeed, smirking as he continued, "Makes the best American food outside of Nephrite. Course, he was actually raised in America, before Beryl, you know."

Ami's curiosity was instantly peaked and waitress, and diner, long forgotten at the mention of one of the Shitennou's pasts. She leaned forward, "And you too, yes?"

"No," Zoisite shook his head and Ami tilted hers in question. "I was raised in Europe. Germany, actually. Our areas of… control while under Beryl were only picked by where we were found. Kunzite was born in Saudi Arabia. Jadeite was _actually_ Australian."

"But you all decided to be from America?"

"Except Jadeite. He stuck with Australia. Lords know why," Zoisite rolled his eyes at the mention of his brother. "It was just easier for us to pretend to have come here together, more or less."

"How do you explain your perfect Japanese?" she asked, though this was more a lead up to her actual question.

"Military brat," he answered easily. "We all lived here for a while as kids. That's how we met one another."

"How do you really have perfect Japanese?" she asked, now wanting the real answer.

He shrugged, "Don't know really. When we awoke as the generals, we could speak and understand really any language we tried. I'm sure the Prince can do it to, if he tries. I don't know about you girls."

She frowned, mostly out of jealousy. She never got to try such a talent, but she sure wished she had it. It would be so interesting to get to speak anything she wanted. She knew they couldn't in their human forms, if Usagi's English grade was any indication, but she didn't know about in their Senshi forms.

She returned her attention to Zoisite, who was looking at her in confusion as his food arrived. Ami hadn't even noticed the waitress had provided Zoisite with his juice and refilled her coffee. Zoisite must have eased around the questions at those points. Zoisite shot a smile and thanks and Ami nodded to the waitress as well.

"How did you explain your reappearance?" Ami asked after Zoisite had taken a few bites.

"Ah, it was easy since we never had a record of dying," Zoisite winked, though Ami felt uncomfortable at the statement. "Got our records in order. The hard part was making it seem as though we were all from America instead of all over the place. I guess Jadeite chose correctly to keep his original home in that respect."

"What if people wonder about you? People you knew?"

Zoisite chuckled a bit, "I don't think we have to worry about that. Jadeite was an orphan and I was disowned. Nephrite and Kunzite could have family out there but Kunzite was never really accepted so I doubt they cared much when he disappeared. You know," Zoisite motioned towards his own face and hair but referenced Kunzite, "it would be hard for that not to be strange anywhere. Nephrite had a fair family but he wasn't in constant contact with them before anyways. Kind of went against the beliefs of his family when he left before Beryl's control. Like I said anyways, it's not like we were known dead as humans… or at all really."

She relented. She wanted to ask more about Zoisite's disownment, but decided that wasn't what she'd gone there today to learn. She wanted to know the basics and diving into what could potentially be a painful past, though she slightly doubted it was, was certainly much more personal than she was looking for and thought she could handle at the time. She wasn't sure if she could handle the road that would lead them down.

Instead, she moved on to more light, almost survey questions, "So, you do flowers. And the others?"

"Nephrite works as a security guard in a museum. He wants to actually work for the museum but most of his knowledge is America Natives, since that what his North American family was, and the museum he is currently at isn't much interested in it. Jadeite's a _model_," Zoisite once again rolled his eyes at his brother and Ami couldn't help but giggle. "Seriously, the boy can barely dress himself in anything but jeans and a t-shirt and he decided to be a model. He just likes the attention. Swore he'd be the one to get us caught. Always wanting to do billboards instead of sticking with his small mall shops."

"And yet, it's you here," Ami laughed softly.

If Jadeite had said this, Zoisite might have tried to pull out his trachea. But with Ami, he could help but give a small laugh, "And I'll never live it down, either. Guess I can't complain too much."

At the end of his statement, Zoisite gave Ami a wink and she blushed and looked deep into her now empty coffee cup. The waitress had come with the check and Zoisite dropped down enough money for the both of them, bidding the young woman goodbye with a lazy, though attractive, smile.

Ami took this moment to avoid the interaction from before, not that Zoisite expected anything different; the woman in front of him now was fairly similar to the one that stood before him all that time ago. Instead, she continued on with her interrogation, asking what Kunzite did.

"Newspaper. Business section. He decided it'd be unlikely for you guys to see him there," Zoisite smiled.

Ami laughed. She couldn't disagree. As often as she read the newspaper, Kunzite could be using the penname "Kunzite, The Evil General of the Dark Kingdom" and she'd be none the wiser if it was in the business section.

"Usagi's dad works there," she stated, and then stopped, unsure of how much information she should be sharing. He was sharing a ton of it and she believed it to be true. But, if she was choosing to be this close to an enemy, that was one thing. She shouldn't bring her friends into it either.

"The Moon Princess? Yes?" Zoisite questioned and at Ami's shocked, and almost fearful look, continued, "Kunzite met her father some months back. Got into a long conversation that lead to his daughter and that's how we learned. That's the only bits we know on the Prince or the Princess, what we learned from him. It was nice to hear though. Engaged."

Ami gave a light smile, feeling Zoisite's joy at his Prince's. She watched as the man sat for a second with a smile on his face, seemingly thinking about the previously mentioned couple. After a couple seconds, the smile began to fade and become concerned. Ami found herself growing curious but didn't get to asked before Zoisite was back to the present.

Zoisite shook his head and rose from the booth, offering his arm, "Shall we then?"

Ami took it to stand, but didn't hold on for long. Zoisite dropped it, defeated. They walked in silence out the door before Ami asked one last question, "So, you seem awful close to your friends not to know if they've approached anyone."

He shrugged, "I wasn't completely lying. They could have been keeping a secret. Though, if they were, they're great actors by this point. Though, if they were and I did know, it wouldn't be my place to inform you, just as it wouldn't be theirs to inform your sisters of our meeting."

She nodded, knowing he was correct. She trusted her sisters and he seemed to trust his brothers. They were back in front of the flower shop and she glanced inside, "It's a nice shop."

Zoisite beamed, "Not just a shop, you know. It's a greenhouse too, if you go around that little square counter. Here look," he pulled her elbow gently where she could just see between the shop and the building next it. Surely enough, there was a greenhouse attached to the back of the shop. "It's Sakura's pride and joy. She was raised in a garden, I'm convinced. She's amazing. You should see her traditional Japanese flower arrangements. I can do alright, but I'm nowhere near her level! Maybe next time you can come in and see her work!"

Ami gave a small, sad smile at his excitement, "It seems very nice. You seem happy. But, I think we both know that there can't, and won't, be a next time."

Zoisite deflated. Of course his Mercurian had been distant during the conversation, he shouldn't be surprised. She'd obviously only been there to obtain information and he had tried to remind himself of that during their meeting. And, of course, she was right in that they can't, or at least shouldn't, meet again. He sighed, moving his eyes downward like a scorn child "Right. I got carried away. I was just thinking about the plants and forgot."

She touched his elbow, bringing his gaze to hers, "It was very nice to talk to you today. I'm glad I got the chance to know how you actually are."

"And, I," he responded and in an instant, leaned down to lay a light kiss on her cheek and whispered, "I wish it were different."

Ami nodded as he straightened, "Bye, Zachary."

He didn't offer any words, just lifted his hand in a feeble wave as she turned away. He watched her until she turned the corner and then collapse against the side of the building, head down. He stood that way for a few minutes before pushing himself off the wall and heading home.

Ami blushed the entire distance from Zoisite to her apartment, her cheek still tingling from the touch of his lips.

_But no more_, the each thought.


	4. Unlucky

The clanging in the kitchen when Zoisite awoke could only mean one thing. He quickly jumped out of bed and into the shower, taking as short amount of time as possible to wash. He left the towel on his head as he threw on some clothes before leaving his room, his stomach growling in anticipation.

The voices drifted over him before he'd even turned the corner. It was Jadeite's that hit him first, "I don't understand why you read that thing."

Zoisite turned the corner as Kunzite answered, newspaper laid out in front of him and tea in hand. Kunzite didn't even look up to respond, "I don't write the entire thing you know."

"Jadeite just can't comprehend reading anything," Zoisite yawned as he plopped into a chair. "You guys could have awoken me. I would have helped."

By this point, the table was set, tea was heated and Nephrite's coffee was in its pot. Nephrite was finishing up a few last items for their breakfast and then they would eat. They usually ate together on Saturdays. Nephrite was off on Friday nights so he was more personable for breakfast and Kunzite didn't have to rush out the door at an absurd hour.

"We had it covered. You've seemed tired recently," Nephrite answered, putting the last of some bacon on a plate and taking it to the table. Not to put himself too far out of character, he added, "Plus, you've needed some beauty sleep."

"Mmm," Zoisite responded, not dignifying the jab with the remark. He poured himself some tea and sighed into the cup, content. He was exhausted. It had been two weeks since he had last seen Ami. He had expected her to keep her word about not meeting him anymore, but it was certainly draining on his resistance not to find_ her_.

"Mercurian keeping you up at night?" Jadeite jabbed, earning a glare from all the men, not just Zoisite.

"I have _not_ seen her," Zoisite asserted, throwing food onto his plate.

"Oh, so that's what's keeping you up then. Poor, Zoi," Jadeite frowned, mockingly. Jadeite didn't get long into his mocking faces when a spatula hit him scare in the face, "HEY!"

"Stupid," Zoisite muttered, looking to his plate.

"If it was me you'd be acting the same way," Jadeite crossed his arms. They were always onto one another. He wouldn't expect any different if he'd ran into Mars. The fact that his friend was taking it so badly made matters worse, in Jadeite's views. He was more worried than annoyed. For the youngest member of the group to step outside the status quo of their friendship had the man worried, and Jadeite was sure it wasn't just him. It would be a lie to say Zoisite hadn't been a topic of conversation many times in the last couple of weeks for the older three men.

"Calm down, you two," Kunzite admonished. "Let's just forget about that run in, alright. It doesn't seem as though we're in any danger from it."

"Easy for a few of us," Nephrite responded, clapping Zoisite on the shoulder. This wasn't meant rude or teasing and the younger man took comfort in the gesture.

"It's all but forgotten," he stated and stood with his only half empty plate. "Breakfast was as amazing as usual. I'm running late for work though. I have the early shift. I'll take it for later."

He didn't wait for a response as he moved to pour his food into a lunch container. His friends made small talk as he moved around the kitchen, preparing to leave for his day. He exited the room, tossing the towel from his head into his bedroom and then walked out the door.

"I'll see you this evening," he tossed back, gathering his damp hair into a bun, rather than his usual low ponytail, as he walked.

* * *

"I'll be back soon, listen for the door please," Sakura called into the back of the greenhouse where Zoisite was working.

"Of course," he called back, leaning back off his toes and wiping his forehead. "Can you bring me the usual tea?"

"Absolutely!" she called back and he heard the bells on the door jingle announcing her exit.

He glanced down at the work he'd completed so far that morning. Several of their rarer, and thus more expensive, plants had outgrown their old pots. His Saturday task was to repot them to the appropriate size and move them to more appealing positions, hopefully leading to their sales. He'd been at work for about two hours now and was only about half way done. He was moving quickly but he still felt he should be done.

Thirty minutes of work later and the bells of the door jingled, announcing the first customer since Sakura had left. They had good business but it wasn't always booming. They'd been steady throughout the morning and the latest lull was the largest and longest so far.

He stood and grabbed a towel he had sitting beside his work station, first wiping the sweat from his face and then wiping the dirt from his hands as he moved to the front of the store, calling out, "Hello, Welcome to Zodiac Flowers. Do you need any help?"

The girl who had entered didn't face him, or respond immediately. He stared at her brown ponytailed hair for a moment, mostly willing her to answer; he took it almost personally when a customer ignored his greeting. He leaned forward on the counter after a second, his head in the palm of his hands, watching her study the roses.

"Oh!" she finally exclaimed, as though she had just realized he'd spoken to her almost a full two minutes ago. "I didn't mean…"

She stopped as green eyes met green eyes. His stomach dropped, but he kept his face as neutral as he could in the given situation. He straightened up, "Ah, well… If you need help let me know."

She continued to stare at him and he was growing increasingly uncomfortable. He wished he could escape back into his greenhouse, with his plants and without the company of the Senshi of Protection that stood before him now. However, the thought of Sakura's wrath if she returned to find him in back with a customer up front was scarier than the senshi at the moment. Plus, he was determined not to look guilty. He met her gaze.

"Do I know you?" she finally asked, moving a little closer and squinting her eyes at him.

Zoisite gave half a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant, "I can't say I recognize you off the top of my head."

She finally stood opposite of him at the counter, studying him from his long, bunned blonde hair to his slender garden booted feet. He put a questioning, confused look on his face, "Is this how you treat all your new acquaintances?"

"Only the ones I'm sure are someone else," she stated accusingly.

"Well, _I_ am Zach," he stated, leaning closer to her face. "And, you?"

She shot up straight to distance herself from him and glared, not answering his question. She didn't have to because after only a few seconds, the door opened again and Sakura called out to Zoisite about the tea. As she came into view of the customer she let out a small squeal, "Oh, Makoto! Where have you _been_?"

Zoisite relaxed, mentally thinking the gods, when the woman in front of him, this Makoto, turned her attention from him and towards the shop owner. A large smile crossed her face, "Sakura! I've been busy so I haven't made it to this part of town in _months._ I see you have a new helper."

"Well, we have a ton of great new plants. Zach was actually just replanting some of our exotic stock into new pots if you'd like him to show you. He's absolutely amazing. You'll love talking to him," Sakura beamed. She was quite proud of her newest and, as of a few months ago when the only other employee had left for university, only employee.

Makoto returned her gaze to the man in question. She glanced over him one more time and then answered, "Sure. I'd love to see them."

Zoisite mentally cursed Sakura. He was sure the tension and distrust could be felt in the air; the woman was oblivious. Outwardly, he put on his largest smile and then held out on arm, "This way."

He led her through the rows of potted plants, motioning to a few newer ones they'd gotten in recently. She only made small sounds in response and he could feel her eyes burning into him the entire way to the back of the shop. He stopped at his small work station and motioned, "They're a bit expensive but extremely nice. They're not overly large and fit great in houses or apartments."

He explained the small bush like tree in front of them for a few minutes and then paused, waiting for any questions that she might have. He was not surprised when she asked one completely unrelated to the plants, "What are you doing here?"

He stared at her for a second, trying to look dumfounded, "Working?"

"Zoisite," she hissed, narrowing her eyes. "If you hurt any of my friends…"

He leaned back, eyes widening, "I don't know this Zoisite but I promise I do not plan to hurt anyone. My name is Zachary. You have me confused with another."

She pursed her lips. She was sure she didn't. She stared at him closely again, hoping to get some kind of reaction from him. After a minute of him continuing to look confused and eventually hurt, she sighed, "Sorry. The resemblance is uncanny."

"No harm done. Though, if someone is going to hurt a friend, I would suggest going to the police about the guy," he told her earnestly. "They'll be able to handle it. Maybe a restraining order?"

She smiled, "No, it's okay. We haven't seen him in a long time. It was just bad memories. I'll take this one," she motioned at the very lively looking specimen of the plant they were standing in front of at the moment.

"It hasn't been repotted yet, would you like me to take care of it?" he smiled back at her, relaxing into the conversation. He wasn't entirely sure she bought it, but she was at least letting it go for now.

She shook her head, "I enjoy that part. It's half the reason I chose this one."

Makoto winked at the end of her sentence and Zoisite couldn't help but laugh, "I couldn't agree more. Would you like for me to carry it out for you?"

"Please, I'll go hail a taxi," she turned from him and walked back towards the front door, stopping to talk with Sakura for a moment. He watched as Sakura grabbed a pot and some soil for the replanting and rang the girl up.

When she turned and exited the building, he sighed and tried to shake some of the stress off before picking up the plant. He needed a moment before putting on such a stressful act again. The rest of the interaction was fine; he placed the plant in the taxi and they bid each other farewell without another mention of Zoisite.

* * *

Upon return home that evening, Zoisite went directly for the liquor cabinet. Nephrite was long gone; he had work that night. Jadeite, Zoisite assumed, had another date. A night rarely passed without him having one and a weekend never did. Kunzite was posted in his normal chair; like Zoisite, he wasn't interested in dating, yet. While Nephrite had ventured out a few times, it wasn't a priority for him either.

Zoisite sat on the couch, setting the bottle of whisky and two glasses on the side table and muttering a German swear. Kunzite glanced up, raising an eyebrow at his friend. The young man almost never spoke German and Kunzite was almost surprised he remembered how.

"I need a new job," the blonde sighed.

"I thought you liked Sakura and the place?" Kunzite asked, grabbing the bottle of dark alcohol and filling both glasses.

Zoisite instantly downed one and Kunzite refilled it with an amused expression. Zoisite sighed again, "I do. But a certain Jovian wandered in again. _Why me?_"

Kunzite's amused expression immediately fell, "Did she recognize you? Did the Mercurian send her?"

Zoisite shrugged and downed another glass. Kunzite joined him this time and refilled both glasses as the younger man answered, "I don't think Ami sent her. She seemed to recognize me but I think I played dumb well enough. Quitting would confirm her suspicion but it seems she's been visiting long before I started there and won't be stopping either. The other girls are bound to hear about it, I'm sure."

Zoisite looked towards Kunzite. His mouth was set in a line, his eyes serious. He was staring partly at Zoisite and partly passed him, thinking. After a few minutes, his eyes met Zoisite's, "Ami? You hadn't mentioned her by name before."

Zoisite felt his heart fall into his stomach and he suddenly thought he'd throw up the liquor he'd quickly been downing without a problem. He groaned, putting a hand over his face. _I am dead._

"How many times?" Kunzite said evenly and Zoisite moved a hand, looking into the stern eyes of his leader and friend.

"Once. The day after I approached her. She just wanted to ask some questions. I thought it'd be best for us if I indulged her. To show our innocence," he leaned forward during his explanation and it had turned almost pleading towards the end.

"_For us_?" Kunzite accused shaking his head. "How much did you reveal of your brothers? Putting yourself stupidly in danger is one thing but the rest of us…"

The threat trailed off.

"We're in no danger," Zoisite assured him. "I promise. Let me, or you and I, handle this. Don't tell the others."

Kunzite shook his head and sighed, "For now."

* * *

_Authors note: A couple chapters ago, I had a question about other couplings. I am making no promises either way. I can promise that I will only be focusing on Zoisite and Ami. I haven't decided if mentions or clues to others relationships and interactions will be made._


	5. Worried

Ami bit slowly into the hot odango that Makoto had made, at the request of Usagi. Makoto's cooking never ceased to amaze her and this night was no different. They were all staying the night at Rei's temple. Saturday nights were always saved for fun and nothing else. The sleepovers switched from one place to another.

It had been two weeks since Ami had approached Zoisite of her own freewill and she was very proud of the fact that she resisted doing so a second time. By this point, she was also beginning to feel more like herself again. This was terribly needed as the girls had certainly caught on to her dreamy and absentminded ways of the last few weeks. She'd been called Usagi multiple times.

She had been worried at first and wondering if she should tell her friends what was really going on with her. She hadn't expected to be so affected and when she was, she felt panicked. Thousands of years have passed and she still feels a pull towards him; that could not end well. However, she had resisted and was feeling more and more like herself and the meeting was becoming a distant memory. She wouldn't forget and keep a look out for her sisters, but she needn't remember it thoroughly either.

She learned so much about him and the others that day. He had learned next to nothing about her and girls, which she almost felt guilty for once before reminding herself that _he_ was the evil one back from the dead. The biggest part, however, was though he had fed the curiosity she'd shown up with, she felt herself growing more and more curious about his life. She was burning with curiosity over both the life now and before he was reborn to Beryl. She'd had to remind herself numerous times that she should not concern herself with it. He was of no importance.

Her mind flashed towards the kiss on the cheek and her stomach turned. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of turn she wished it was. She wasn't disgusted or disturbed; she was excited. It was the butterflies she'd felt as his warm lips had touched her skin. She set down her rice ball, realizing she hadn't taken a bit in a couple of minutes. She _needed_ to completely forget about that farewell.

She looked around; no one seemed to notice her silence today. They may have gotten used to it at this point already. Usagi, Rei and Mina were laughing and joking. Makoto, however, was extremely quiet. She hadn't said anything to Ami tonight about her distant personality but that may very well be because she was being so distant herself.

Makoto frowned as Ami was looking at her, staring off into space and not even noticing the eyes on her. Ami called out gently, "Mako, are you okay?"

The three other girls stopped their giggling and turned their attention to the two quiet girls. Makoto seemed shocked that someone had spoken to her. She stared at Ami for a second and then shook her head, "I just had a very… unsettling experience today."

Usagi's eyes widened and she dropped her rice ball, instantly more worried about her friend than her food, "Well, what happened?"

Makoto shook her head, showing her confusion, "I don't really know. Maybe nothing. I was at a flower shop I used to visit a lot on the east side of town," Ami's eyes widened, afraid of where it would go, "You know, Zodiac? That place I used to get a lot of my stuff from."

Ami barely kept herself from lurching forward from the nausea in her stomach. She clenched her teeth, working desperately to keep her cool in front of her friends. _She has found him_. She frightened herself partially at the thought but mostly with the feelings. She wasn't worried for her friends or for her secret. She was worried for him.

She tried to refocus on Makoto, who was still talking, "I haven't been there in months so I don't really know. He says he's been there for a while but it's just… weird. The resemblance… I just can't shake it."

Ami thought she had missed the big reveal, but she wouldn't have missed her friends' reactions to that if Makoto had said the name. The looks of confusion and attention on the faces of her friends reaffirmed this.

"Well, who?" Rei finally asked, after listening to Makoto ramble on about this guy.

Makoto stumbled, "It was… I swear it was… I mean, it looked _just_ like… I thought I saw Zoisite."

Ami closed her eyes for a brief second, expecting roars and outrage to erupt from her friends and the grabbing of pitchforks, or in this case Henshin pens, to commence. However, nothing happened. There was no noise, no bustling to get ready for a fight, no nothing.

She popped her eyes open. No one was looking at her like she'd half expected, her response wasn't appropriate either. Instead, the three other women were staring at Makoto and she was staring back. The former all had blank expressions while Makoto continued to look confused.

"Are you sure?" Minako finally asked, blinking and sitting up straight. "I mean, none of us have felt anything and there haven't been any weird circumstances in years, let alone the last few months."

Makoto shook her head again, "I just… I don't know. I was _so_ sure when I saw him. He showed no recognition or fear or anything. Well, he was confused about my attitude. He just insisted his name was Zach. It was… convincing…"

Ami's mouth twitched a little. He could be that convincing to others as well? She suddenly found herself doubting their entire encounter. Of course, he had told her what had to be mostly truths. He hadn't hidden behind the pretense of being someone else. But, to hear that he can lie so convincingly and easily almost made her shiver. What could he have lied to her about?

"Maybe it was just a coincidence? Or we can all go down there and check it out. That might be a good idea," Rei stated, sighing. "There hasn't been a single warning in my fire so I just don't think it'd be them personally."

Makoto shook her head again, "No, no. I'd hate to harass a poor man at work more than I already have. I just can't shake that feeling of when I first saw him. He certainly didn't _act_ like Zoisite, though."

Ami almost smiled at that. Oh, he certainly _did_ still act like Zoisite. Makoto may not have gotten to see it in their short interaction but she certainly had. He's still flamboyant and flirtatious and addictive. She shook the thought.

"Well," She finally stated. "Maybe Rei should do a fire reading and we'll just keep our ears open."

Rei rose, "Good idea. I can do it now."

* * *

It was several hours before Rei returned from the room with the sacred fire. Usagi and Minako had fallen asleep, but instantly awoken at the sound of Rei's return. Ami had been sitting, stomach turning at the thought of Zoisite being caught and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself it'd be better if he were.

She looked up at Rei with the rest of the group and Rei shook her head, "Nothing. It's either not him or he's doing nothing noteworthy."

Ami held in a sigh of relief and Makoto muttered a _good._ Minako and Usagi thanked the goddess before letting out a loud yawn each.

Ami smiled, "We should go to bed now."

The girls all agreed and the crawled into their beds. Ami certainly didn't sleep that night and, if the tossing and turning she heard around her was any indication at all, neither had any of the other girls.

_I'll have to see him._ She resolved, the idea making her stomach do more turns of excitement than she was comfortable with.


	6. Spying

_Author's Note: Sorry about the wait on this one! Promise I'm still on it._

* * *

Ami sat in the coffee shop chewing gently on her nail as she watched across the road. She had been in the shop watching the road for about 30 minutes. She had no idea what his schedule for work was like and he very well could have already been inside the flower shop or not even working today.

She frowned, leaning forward on the hand she was previously molesting. She wasn't sure what she even planned on doing or why she was doing it. All she knew is that she had to talk to Zoisite about what had happened the previous day. Or, at the very least, she had to see him to make sure he was still alright.

She squashed the final thought with a giant gulp of her hot coffee. She would admit that she was slightly worried about his well-being but she wasn't ready to dwell on such a thing. Plus, she would surely know if any of her friends had done or planned to do anything about what they had heard.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind did she see two blonde girls walking down the street, each with a cat in their arms and in the company of a tall dark haired man. She sank in her seat, frowning. She knew they wouldn't be able to see in the coffee shop windows; they were tinted far too dark for that. However, that didn't make her any less paranoid about them sensing her presence. Of course, they too were in this neighborhood, probably investigating, without tell her. So, she could certainly make the same claim.

She watched as the stopped across the street from her and talked for a moment before Minako lead the way into the store. About five minutes later, the exited again, looking fairly defeated. Ami jumped a little as Minako pointed towards the shop where she sat. Usagi and Mamoru nodded, the former looking completely thrilled, and started across the seat.

Ami very quickly moved into a secluded corner and grabbed a nearby magazine, in case they came to check around the corner where she sat. She couldn't see them from where she was and she didn't hear them for a few very long moments. Eventually, she heard Usagi's voice from the other side of short wall separating her and the rest of the seats. She held her breath as she heard them plop down just on the other side.

"Well, that was a bust," Minako whined once they got seated. "He wasn't there and it didn't really sound like him from the way the woman talked. The lady didn't seem at all brainwashed and there wasn't an evil feeling in the air."

"As alarming as the original claim was, I think there's no reason to harass the man. I also felt nothing," Luna agreed and Ami mentally cheered her on. She was up for any idea that would keep the girls from poking too much into this.

"Maybe it's just been too quiet for too long. Makoto saw someone who resembled an enemy and instantly felt scared," Artemis reasoned. "You haven't felt anything, have you, Mamoru?"

"Nothing. The stones are just as the always are. I tried to talk to them after you called this morning but I honestly hadn't in over a year. They may have finally moved on from there," Mamoru stated and Ami could tell he was deep in thought. "I wouldn't put much stock into me not being able to contact them. Plus, if it is him, they have set up a pretty intricate back story with little use. We've had evil use flowers before but nothing so small scale."

"Yeah," Minako voiced again. "If it _is_ somehow him he seems to want to stay out of the spotlight anyways. We can keep ears open without intruding too much, I guess. What about you, Usagi?"

There was silence for a second and Ami assumed Usagi was finishing a bite of whatever dessert she'd chosen. Finally, she spoke, "I don't think we should worry about it for now. I certainly agree with you guys on that. At least, we'll be ready in case anything comes up."

The rest of the group seemed to take that as the final comment and it was quiet for a moment as the group sat and finished their snacks. Usagi had matured immensely over the years. College had treated her very well and she was focusing on government and economic classes, something that surprised every one of her friends. She wanted to be as prepared to be queen as she could, she stated, and felt this was the best way. Even more to the amazement of her friends, she was quite good at it and seemed to enjoy her courses.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Ami heard the group leave the table. She sat still for another five minutes, wanting to make sure they were well out of the area before she moved. She felt completely ridiculous and entirely guilty. She shouldn't be hiding from her friends; she certainly shouldn't feel like she needed to be.

She finally rose from her seat with a sigh, carrying her cup to the trash and standing in front of the window for second. Suddenly, something familiar caught her eye. A vaguely family blonde hair man was walking towards the flower shop. It took her a moment to fully recognize Zoisite, for his hair was even shorter than Jadeite's.

She stared for a moment as he entered the shop and, before she knew it, she was rushing out the door and across the street. As she pushed open the door of the flower shop, she was extremely glad it was empty. She could only imagine what she looked like at the moment.

"Zo…. Zachary?" she called out and a second later he appeared from the back.

His looked of confusion amplified as he saw her standing in the doorway, half panting. He definitely let out a 'huh' in the next moment as she rushed across the room and threw her arms around him.

"I was worried," she mumbled but then quickly seemed to realize what she was doing and step back furiously. Her face was as red as the roses that sat on the counter.

He scratched the back of his next, matching her red face, "I… Oh?"

He seemed to be having trouble finding his words and she didn't seem like she was doing much better. She stared at the ground and offered no answer.

"Well," he finally said after a long moment of silence, "I just came in to request a couple weeks vacation. We can go… talk?"

She nodded, barely noticeably. Without another word, he placed a hand on her back, called a goodbye over his shoulder, and led her out the door. She immediately turned right, wanting to stay as far from her friends as possibly at the moment.


	7. Accepting

They walked in silence for what, to Ami, felt like forever. She was faintly pink and kept stealing glances at Zoisite, who was walking extremely nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets. Ami kept going over in her head what she has already said, and did, and was trying desperately to think of a next step. As it was, neither of them seemed to even know where to go to talk.

"Well," Zoisite finally spoke, "I think it's fair to say we'll want to talk someone away from people."

Ami nodded.

"And, my place is obviously out of the question. Nephrite and Jadeite would not be happy to see you. And, I suppose your place is just as dangerous for me to be seen in."

Ami nodded again and Zoisite sighed, looking around. He spotted a park and nodded towards it, "That should be fine. I live a pretty good ways that way, so the boys should be able to find us. You?"

Zoisite had pointed towards the south of where they were.

"Most of us live that direction still," She'd pointed southeast of where they were now. "It's as good as any, I suppose. Unfortunately, we all go to different Universities all over the place. But there's no reason anyone should be walking around here."

They walked into the park as silently as they'd gotten to that point. Zoisite led the way to a small area off the path in the midst of trees. Being this far out of the way of eyes and scrutiny with the man in question would have made Ami entirely uncomfortable and on her guard a month ago.

As they sat against the same tree with as much room as the broad tree would allow, Ami noted that she was still fairly uncomfortable but for entirely new reasons.

Zoisite spoke first, "So, worried?"

Ami pressed her lips together for a second and then sighed, "Makoto saw you. And, she told the others that she'd seen who she thought was you."

"You hadn't said anything?" he asked casually.

Ami's head snapped up quickly, and unbelieving look on her face, "Of course not."

He raised an eyebrow, "I just wasn't sure whether or not you would. You know, with how close you all are and… who I am."

She turned her head back towards the ground, coloring again because of her latest outburst, "I… I trust what you said. I didn't want to cause any problems that I'm sure will arise when the girls figure out you guys are back. It's better for now."

She had purposely avoided saying that she trusted him. She wasn't sure if she did. Believing what he said was one easy thing to do. She could understand what he was saying and it all seemed to add up. However, trusting him would be a whole other step that she wasn't sure when, or if, she'd be ready to take.

"When…" Zoisite let the word roll in the silence. He hadn't even thought of it a when. Him and his brothers had always said if. _If _a senshi saw them. _If_ they were found. Never when.

Ami eyed him a second as if waiting for him to speak. When he seemed to be stuck on the word, she broke the silence, "I mean, look at how we just ran into each other. Not just ran into each other, how we were drawn to one another. It's bound to happen again while were in the same city, no matter how large that city is."

Zoisite sighed, leaning his forehead into his palm and grasping his short bangs, "Knew we should have moved elsewhere. But, we just couldn't take being that far away from the Prince."

She smiled slightly, laying a hand on the one beside her; he removed the other and looked at her as she spoke, "I would have done that same. It'd be worth the chance for them."

He half smiled back before leaning against the tree, looking up through the branches. He didn't move his hand from her touch and she didn't seem in a hurry to either. But, he had other questions he desperately needed to address as well, "So, what did they decide?"

Ami leaned back again as well, making herself comfortable, "Makoto convinced herself there was little chance it was you. She said you were really convincing. Rei, Mars, decided to rely on the fire and when it didn't come up with anything she let it go. Minako and Usagi ah… They went to the store this morning. Missed you by about five minutes. Uhm, Mamoru was with them too…"

He jolted up, his hand sliding out from other hers, eye wide, "That close. We were that close. Did he… did they… feel?"

"Nothing," Ami finished, pulling her hand back into her lap slowly. "Like me, none of them sensed evil or you. Mamoru would have been sure if he'd seen you though."

Zoisite relaxed again, "They would have _killed_ me."

Ami laughed softly, "You've make it so far."

"Not them," Zoisite grimaced. "The boys. They've already taken my hair."

Ami looked closely again at the short scruffy hair that had replaced the long locks she'd loved so much. She reached up a hand and brushed through it, "It's nice but you're right. The loss of the hair is a tragedy."

"You always were a sucker for it," he smirked.

Ami quickly found herself blushing again, pulling her hand back to her lap quickly. She averted her eyes to her lap again. It was easy, too easy. She had actively missed him these last couple of weeks. She thought, or hoped, that he would have been much easier to forget than he was proving to be.

"I don't like it," she finally muttered. He didn't say anything but she could feel his eyes, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath, "I was worried. I was worried about _you._ About what would happen to you if they found out. I didn't want you hurt or to run or to leave… It's not fair. I don't want to feel this way but… And not to mention I hardly know _you_. Here you."

Zoisite stared at her for a second, letting her words sink in. It wasn't the first time he'd ever heard the woman bear her heart to him but it always took him by surprise. This time even more so with everything they had been through together, everything he had put her through.

"I wanted to forget you, too. I didn't want to have to face the past or what you thought of me. I'd hoped you never returned to that coffee shop after I'd seen you the first time," he was trying to calculate his words. This conversation, however, was more than he had expected and possibly more than he could bear at the time. "Honestly, I think it'd be easier if you did hate me, thought."

She laughed, first a slight giggle and then a full out, uncontrollable laugh. The complete lack of fairness in the entire situation caught up to her. She could see no way out of the current predicament and felt foolish to keep fighting it.

Zoisite just stared at her. Here was Ami, his Mercury, laughing, not only in a way he didn't know what possible, but at something he had said. There she had said something deep and heartfelt and then when he responded, she was laughed.

She calmed after a second and then met his eye, "It can't be easy."

He allowed half a smile and shook his head, still slightly unsure of what had come over her in that moment. A moment later she was standing and offering her hand to him. He took it and stood beside her.

"Well," she bent her head down and started rummaging through her back. "It seems inevitable that we'll meet again. Next time we can plan it. Here's my number."

She held out a piece of paper she'd just scribbled on. Zoisite hesitated, "Ami…"

"I'm not saying I trust you," she put her earlier thoughts into words. She said them with such an easy determination that they both knew she was telling the truth on that one. "However, it just… doesn't seem like there's a point to fighting it either. We don't have to seek out hanging out or anything just… if you need something or if there's another problem with one of the girls… You can just tell me now, okay?"

He took the piece of paper tentatively, still just watching her. She smiled another quick smile and she was gone. He knew she hadn't meant anything grand by it. There was no stumbling or blushing. This was the logical thing to do, not the emotional one.


	8. Reassurance

Zoisite turned the small piece of paper over in his hands. He'd stared at it for the better part of the last 5 days. He'd memorized the neat, calculated handwriting, much as it had been in a previous life: the perfectly balanced six, the seven with the line through the center, the zero with the slash across it. She had no writing surface but she'd still managed to show every bit of royalty and sophistication in the ten quickly written numbers.

He frowned and leaned back into his bed. It had been easy to avoid wanting to see her and not think about her, though still not completely possible, when he'd had no way to contact her. Now, she was just a call or a text message away. She said they shouldn't seek out spending time with one another and, altogether, he had to agree with her; too much time together would be asking to get caught. However, he found it increasingly difficult not to try exactly that.

He laid the piece of paper neatly onto his bedside table and pushed himself up. He had to get out of the room, and preferably the apartment, before he caved. In the front room, he found Kunzite exactly where he had expected. The older man was sitting in his normal chair, lamp on, and a book open in front of him.

"You really know how to live a Friday night," Zoisite mumbled, flopping onto the couch in the corner nearest his friend.

Kunzite closed his book, looking at the blonde with a raised eyebrow, "You're one to talk? Moping in your room over your lost hair, I assume? Or the Mercurian?"

Zoisite glared but didn't answer the accusations, "Where are the other two anyways? Doesn't Nephrite have a tonight off?"

"He's heading over soon. Jadeite said he'd join us if his date flopped. Nephrite wants to go out to the bar. Do you think you're up for it?" Kunzite tilted his head at his friend.

Zoisite looked him over, noticing for the first time that he was slightly more stylishly dress than normal and then shrugged, "I think I could use a night out."

Kunzite stared at him for a second and Zoisite found himself growing uncomfortable. He hadn't even really seen the man in the last few days, even though Zoisite had taken the time off of work. He had been spending his time mostly locked away in his room fighting the urge to contact Ami.

After Zoisite had avoided eye contact for a full minute, Kunzite finally spoke, "You _can_ actually talk to me, you know? It's not Nephrite or Jadeite."

"See where that got me already?" Zoisite sneered, running a hand through his short hair.

Kunzite rolled his eyes in response, "It was only in case the rest of them were to see you. Your hair is too identifying. It doesn't look bad, anyways."

"I haven't seen them anyways. Makoto gave up and the Princes, Venusian and the Prince went by the store when I wasn't there. So it was a waste of time, anyways," Zoisite crossed his arms.

He immediately knew he had let something slip as he look at Kunzite's questioning face. The man didn't ask how he'd come about that information. He simply jumped to the next one, "When did you see her again?"

Zoisite leaned back with a hand over his face, groaning. He hadn't mentioned this on purpose. Though, he supposed, it wasn't as though he had sought her out. She had come to find him.

However, his excuse seemed to unsettle Kunzite even more, "She went to find _you_? Because she was worried? Zoisite what _have_ you been doing?"

"I haven't _seen_ her since the time we had lunch together…"

"Are you sure?" Kunzite accused.

"Of _course, _I'm sure. I wouldn't lie to you, Kunzite," Zoisite looked at him hurt.

"But, you certainly don't tell me everything. How am I supposed to be aware of how to keep us safe if I don't _know_ when one of you is off seeing the Senshi. And, the prince was that close to finding you as well. Hell, Zoisite," Kunzite sounded completely exasperated by the end of his short rant.

"That was _not_ my fault. It was that damned Jupiter. Ami hasn't told the others about any of us at all," Zoisite wasn't sure who he was defending at this point.

"You're so sure she can be trusted?"

"I'm not dead yet," Zoisite joked.

Kunzite did not seem to find this amusing; he merely grimaced at the man then shook his hand, "Are you going to see her again?"

Zoisite hesitated, which seemed to be all the confirmation that Kunzite needed.

"Why don't you invite her tonight? I'd like to talk to her myself," this was completely business to Kunzite now.

Zoisite, however, felt completely nauseous at the idea, "Out? With you _and Nephrite?_"

"Well, it would certainly make us all feel better," Kunzite responded and then there was a knock and the door opened. "There's Nephrite. I'll ask him as well."

* * *

"ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"Oh, this is fantastic."

Nephrite and Jadeite were taking the question exactly as to have been expected. Jadeite's date apparently fell through and so he would be going out with them tonight. (_"She was absolutely dreadful. Talked more than Zoisite.")_ Nephrite was completely unamused by the idea and Jadeite was _completely_ amused with the entire situation.

"This is so much better than a date!" Jadeite laughed, bending forward so much in his seat his head was almost in his own lap.

"Kunzite," Nephrite's face was, in contrast, grim. "You have to be able to see the problems here. It's one thing for her to know but to see us all… This is just asking for trouble."

"Anyways, would she even come? It would sound like a very badly planned trap to me, if I were her," Jadeite set up, still snickering between words.

Zoisite, for his part, was sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Jadeite and debating between sinking away from the towering Nephrite or standing up and facing to man. He wouldn't normally back down to an argument with any of the men, save Kunzite. However, Nephrite's air was so absolutely murderous that he felt it would be better not to push it.

He held his cell phone in one hand and the paper with the number on it in the other, still waiting for directions on what to do. In the middle of the conversation, he had been sent to receive both artifacts from him room and evidence that, yes he hand the number and, no he hadn't used it yet.

"Nephrite," Kunzite spoke calmly, still sitting in his chair as though this were as simple as deciding a restaurant to eat. "I think it would be good for all of us to talk to her. This way we feel less like something is going on behind our backs."

"We could just bind him to the apartment with magic since he obviously _can't behave like a soldier should_," Nephrite practically spit the words in Zoisite's direction.

"It's not like I keep going and seeking her out…"

"YOU DID THE FIRST TIME! That's why we're in this mess now. You couldn't keep it in your pants so now we all have to suffer. Haven't you thought that we might like it here? It's certainly not all about you."

"Nothing has left my pants!" Zoisite felt more insulted for Ami by the accusation than for himself. "I would really like to see you act any differently at if it was Jupiter who appeared before _you."_

Nephrite's response was cut off by Kunzite who raised his hands and, for the first time in quite a while, his voice, "BOYS."

The both stopped glaring at one another and turned to Kunzite, partially shocked by the outburst. Jadeite had finally stopped laughing and was looking at Kunzite in mild surprise as well.

"I have decided. Send an invitation, Zoisite."

Nephrite slumped back, but didn't utter a word as Zoisite began tapping at his phone, slowly.


End file.
